Romance: Calmer Tides - A Suspense Romance Novel (Romance, Suspense Romance, Contemporary Romance Book 1) Read online

  Copyright

  Calmer Tides

  Copyright © 2015 by Nancy Adams.

  All right reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  Published by: Nancy Adams

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  “The next SAFE HAVEN!”

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  PROLOGUE

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  INTERLUDE ONE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  INTERLUDE TWO

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  INTERLUDE THREE

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  INTERLUDE FOUR

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  INTERLUDE FIVE

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  Prologue

  ELI SLAMMED HIS FOOT DOWN on the brakes, a horrible noise screaming through the small cab as they scraped and caught and, finally, held. The truck skidded to a stop on the wet pavement. Outside, hurricane-force winds tossed the rain around like snow in a snowstorm; it was difficult to see three feet past the headlights, much less past the edge of the 200 foot cliff directly in front of him. If not for the other car’s bright red brake lights, glaring as though signaling for help, Eli never would have seen it at all. He only had a rough idea of where the lights disappeared, hurtling helplessly past the edge into the abyss.

  The rain on the truck’s thin roof was coming down so hard it sounded like he was taking fire from a machine gun. It reminded Eli of hunting with his grandfather in the woods. It had been years ago, but he remembered it vividly. His grandfather’s death had taken a while to sink in, but Eli had finally accepted it. But none of that mattered now. The only thing on Eli’s mind was saving lives.

  Without hesitation, Eli threw his door open and worked his way into a full-on sprint, directly toward where he remembered seeing the brake lights disappear. His heart pounded in his ears. His breath grew shallow. His mind focused.

  As he reached the edge of the cliff, he strained to see through the darkness.

  Nothing.

  Flash. BBBBRRRUMMMCKKK.

  A massive lightning bolt struck barely 80 feet to his left, followed by thunder, deafening him. But in the sudden light, he saw something.

  There.

  An old pickup perched upside-down on an overhang, about fifteen feet below. It groaned, teetering on the edge of the cliff.

  Eli racked his brain for a safe route down, but came up with nothing. He knew help was on the way—he’d called 911 when he saw the car go over—but the truck could fall at any moment, and any assistance would probably be too late.

  There was only one thing to be done. Eli stepped off the side of the cliff, and was suddenly weightless. Everything slowed. Time and space had no meaning. Then, in an instant, the moment was gone. Gravity threw him hard into the rocky perch below, sending a sharp crack of pain up his ankle.

  Eli cried out, reaching to clutch at it with one hand. It was probably broken, but that didn't matter now.

  He crawled over to the wreck.

  “Are you okay?” he screamed. Trying to overpower the thunder. Even yelling at the top of his lungs, he could barely hear his own voice.

  Eli waited, but heard nothing. And then, faintly, he saw movement inside. He stuck his head through the broken passenger side window. In the flash of another lightning strike, he saw the outlines of three bodies. A couple and their child. The parents lay unconscious in their seats, but the boy was awake, hugging his knees.

  Eli tried to open the door, but it was too mangled. The only other way in was through the broken window. He wedged himself inside, and gestured for the boy.

  “Come on buddy! Come with me!” he yelled. But the boy didn’t move.

  Eli groaned. He couldn’t waste any time. He moved towards the woman lying slack in the passenger seat in front of him. He reached for her buckle. Click.

  Thank God.

  He hauled her out the window, though he could feel the broken glass cutting into his flesh, and he was sure the woman was getting cut as well.

  Oh well. Better cut than dead.

  Once he pulled her free from the wreckage, Eli could see her leg was badly broken. Forming the shape of an “S” with breaks above and below the knee. It was a good thing she was unconscious.

  Eli laid her down, and went back in for the father. He had to squeeze his whole body through the window to reach the driver’s seat. He could feel himself getting cut along his stomach as he wiggled through. He pushed on. Once he reached the man he went for the seat belt, straining as he stretched his tall frame. His fingers searched in the darkness. Feeling around until they finally felt the plastic. Eli pushed hard. Click.

  The whole car suddenly creaked and started to tilt over the cliff. Eli threw his body against the back of the cab to counteract gravity. The car rolled back.

  Realizing the whole thing could go over at any moment, Eli hauled the man's 220 pound frame onto the passenger seat. Then, with the sort of power only possible with the aid of adrenaline, he pulled the man through the window. The man’s body fell awkwardly onto the ground. But he was safe.

  Eli breathed a sigh of relief. Or was it exhaustion? Whatever adrenaline he had left would have to carry him now. His life, as well as the kid’s, depended on it.

  “Come here kid,” he said, turning towards the boy. “We’ve got to get you out of there.”

  The boy shook his head, scooting further back into the cab.

  Eli would have to go in after him. He moved forward, but just then a horrible noise came from the truck and it began to tip once more. The weight that had held it in place was gone, and Eli could do nothing to stop its motion this time.

  No.

  He lunged towards the boy.

  Creeeak.

  For the second time that night, Eli felt that sickly sweet sensation of weightlessness. The truck had completely lost it grip on the ledge, and was beginning to fall.

  With all his remaining strength, Eli gripped the boy with his left arm and
shoved himself toward the front of the car, reaching out with his right.

  His back slammed hard against the top edge of the window, shoving glass deep into the fleshy part of his shoulder. He reached out. Searching. Hoping for something, anything to grab hold of.

  This was it. This was to be the end of his life. But not just his—the boy’s, too.

  This is it.... This is the en–

  Except, he felt something with his free hand. Eli gripped it for dear life, praying it was solid. It was. He strained. Holding onto the sharp rock with his right hand, the child in his left, the truck fell away and disappeared into the abyss beneath them.

  Leaving them dangling in space. Wet and exhausted... but alive.

  one

  THE LAST TIME ABBY SET FOOT IN THIS HOUSE she’d been seventeen. Eight years ago. Now the sedentary old structure creaked and groaned under her weight as she stepped inside. For a moment she was afraid the old oak flooring was going to give way under her. But it held.

  She used to love visiting when she was a teenager. She used to love being with her grandma. Being away from all her problems. Being free, able to do whatever her heart desired. Paradise.

  The house sat on a large hill, a mile from shore with a clear view of the coast. The sun glistened and danced across the never-complacent tide. A deep shimmering blue that blanketed the horizon.

  Abby's grandma, Melody, had been offered huge amounts for this place. We'll set you up in a beautiful rest home, they used to say. This place is too much for one person to handle. One person her age, was what they meant. But they hadn’t known Abby’s grandma. Saying things like that only lit her fire brighter. She loved this house, she’d told Abbey, and she loved the memories it contained. Those were worth more than any amount you could write on a check. Abby liked that. She didn't want her grandma to sell, and the idea of things staying the same sounded wonderful. Especially after all Abby had been through.

  She inched further into the hallway. “Ahh!” She gasped as a shot of pain ran up her leg. She stumbled, and just barely grabbed the hall table to steady herself. Her leg, though almost fully healed, still twinged with the occasional flash of pain—just to remind her what it had felt like to be on fire. As if she needed help remembering. Six months had done little to dull the memory, but the nerves would be fully healed soon enough. The emotional trauma of losing her house, and nearly her life, however… well, that was still fresh. Maybe even permanent, like the awful scar the inferno had branded onto her thigh and hip.

  She let her heavy duffel bag drop from her shoulder. It landed with a satisfying thud on the floor.

  I guess this is home now.

  Even though the painful scars of her past were as visible as ever, she couldn't help feeling a certain sense of peace. A calmness and security she hadn't had the luxury of experiencing for a long time. It felt good, and she welcomed it with open arms.

  “Abby, is that you?” A thin voice called from the top of the stairs.

  Abby turned toward the creaking wooden steps. There, easing down the stairs, was her hero.

  “Abby! Oh it's so good to see you. How was the trip, sweetheart?”

  “It was fine,” Abby said. A genuine smile came over her face, something of a rarity these days. She didn't have to fake her fondness for her grandma, though, or her joy. “I missed you so much. How are you doing? Grandpa told me you've been having heart problems—what have the doctors said?”

  He’d told her that six months ago. But Abby had never even managed to pick up a phone to check in. She would never have allowed that to happen in years prior, but things had changed. She had changed. And still, it was embarrassing for this to be the first time they spoke of it.

  Melody's smile faded slightly, as though someone was tugging at the corners of her lips. Abby could see she was fighting it. She eventually won out.

  “Oh, you know how doctors are.” Her tone was playful. Like it was all a game. “Always something 'wrong' so they have something to do. Besides, since your grandfather and I went our separate ways he's just been longing to make stuff up. You know, put back the excitement into his life that he used to have with me.”

  The enthusiasm in her voice was real enough, and if this had been a phone call Abby may have even believed her, but it wasn't, and she didn't. Her grandma might have been smiling, but she seemed burdened by something just beneath the surface. She was hiding something.

  “Grandma, maybe you should–”

  “Oh stop!” Melody interrupted. Voice no longer playful. “I'm fine....” She trailed off, then started again in a softer tone. “I mean look at me. Just the other day I had to chase the paper boy off so he’d stop peeking through my windows.” She smiled, but Abby wasn't buying it.

  “Really sweetheart, I'm OK. I promise.” Melody reached out and touched Abby’s cheek. Her hands were cold, only a shell of what had once been. “Don't worry about me, please.” It almost sounded as if she was begging. Pleading with her granddaughter to let her fight her own battles. Abby let it go, but promised herself this wouldn't be the end of it. She'd drag her grandma down to the hospital herself if she had to.

  “If you say so.”

  “Well I do,” Melody said, and smiled back. “Alright, so what do you want to do first? Get changed? Take a shower? Eat something, perhaps?”

  Though all that sounded wonderful, Abby had a great deal on her mind, and wanted nothing more than to get out and breathe the fresh sea air she’d loved so much when she was younger.

  “I actually just really wanted to go for a walk. I've missed this place, and I'm dying to see how the town has changed,” Abby said. “…Would that be alright?”

  She really had missed this place. It was home for her, and though she had pretended for a while, she’d never truly made anywhere else feel the same way.

  Melody's smile dimmed slightly. “Alright then,” she said, obviously trying to hide her slight disappointment. “If that's what you want to do, then I won't stop you. You go on.” She smiled.

  “Will you come with me?”

  “Oh no. You know how my arthritis has been. I don't think my knees could take it. You go on ahead. We'll catch up later.”

  Abby didn't really want to leave her grandma behind, especially after her reluctance to talk about her health. But her desire to see the town won out, and she eventually agreed.

  “Okay Grandma. But tonight, I promise, it’ll be just you, me, and a hot pot of tea. And we can talk about everything and nothing. Just like we used to.” Abby offered her own reassuring smile.

  Melody nodded. She smiled back, and added in a soft voice, “I look forward to it dear.”

  And Abby left.

  * * * * *

  The gravel path crunched and skid beneath her shoes. The sun peeked through the gorgeous canopy above, providing a perfect compromise between shade and light for everyone who walked beneath the trees. She could smell summer coming, and the salty breeze crashing in from the Atlantic.

  This was heaven. This was where she belonged. This was home.

  Once she had traversed the steepest section of the hill, the remainder of the walk into town was fairly relaxing. In fact, Abby couldn't remember the last time she’d felt so at peace. The town had hardly changed at all. It had been almost eight years since she’d seen it last, and maybe if she hadn't have been so focused on her own life she could have visited earlier. But there was no sense in looking to the past. It wasn’t pretty, and she couldn’t change it anyway. Better just to forgive and forget, even if she knew, deep down, that neither one of those things would ever be possible.

  A single road ran into town from Melody’s house, paralleling the coast and hoarding the majority of stores and restaurants. She hadn’t missed the shops, though, just the landscape around her. The way it looked. The way it made her feel. Awestruck, immersed in natural beauty. A sliver of fear, mixed with a lust for adventure. And a hope for new beginnings.

  The untamed landscape that Treasure Bay had been known f
or was almost gone, now, conquered by men’s hands and the roar of machines, but the greatest of the sights remained. The shifting sand dunes to her right, forming and breaking apart again in the wind. To her left, the majestic Sherlock mountains. Steady, mighty, and powerful. And in front of her, the endless expanse of the bay, with Treasure Rock smack in the middle of it.

  Surrounded like that, Abby felt protected. Shielded. There was pain and horror outside the walls of this castle, but inside she was hidden from her enemies. It was a refuge. I'm safe here, Abby told herself. The more she said it, the more it felt real. Maybe one day she would even believe it.

  “Abby!” She turned towards the direction of the voice. “Is it really you?”

  Coming down the road toward her was a short, spunky redhead. Molly. Abby's absolute best friend growing up. She’d always had an exorbitant amount of energy for boys, shopping, clothes, and above all else, talking. By the looks of things, none of that had changed, but Abby didn't hold this against her. No one was perfect, and Abby knew that all too well.

  “Molly!” It was the most excited-sounding voice she could muster. She was actually a bit embarrassed. Over the last few years she’d stopped returning Molly’s calls, which had been the main reason they’d drifted slowly apart. Which only made her desire to fix their friendship now all the more bold.

  “Wow!” she added, still smiling. “I love what you've done with your hair.”

  It was styled in a cute pixie cut, which Abby wasn't personally fond of, but even she had to admit it looked good on Molly. It suited her quirky, upbeat personality perfectly.

  “Oh, ya, I try to change things up every now and then. You know, keep the fellas guessing.” She gave Abby a sly smile.

  Abby tried to reciprocate, but she’d never been good at that sort of thing. Wearing her emotions on her sleeve. She preferred silence to unnecessary chatter, and was perfectly fine sitting in a room full of people without anyone saying a word.